UVA LB Jordan Mack Named ACC’s Tatum Award Recipient
Posted on Monday, Dec. 2, 2019, 2:59 pm
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Virginia’s Jordan Mack doesn’t get the feedback he was hoping for from one of the Liberty game officials (Photo by John Markon).
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Virginia linebacker Jordan Mack has been named the recipient of the 2019 Jim Tatum Award, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday.
The award is given annually in memory of the late Jim Tatum to the top senior student-athlete among the league’s football players. Tatum, a two-time ACC Coach of the Year, coached in the 1950s at both Maryland and North Carolina and believed strongly in the concept of the student-athlete.
Mack will be recognized this weekend during activities surrounding the 2019 ACC Football Championship Game between Atlantic Division champion Clemson and his Coastal Division champion Virginia squad, which is set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
Mack sports a 3.47 GPA and is on track to graduate later this month in 3.5 years with a degree in education and an emphasis on youth and social innovation. The Lithonia, Georgia, native is a two-time ACC All-Academic Team member and a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.
Boasting 69 tackles so far in 2019, Mack leads ACC linebackers with 7.5 quarterback sacks. He has 8.5 total tackles for loss while forcing two fumbles and 13 quarterback hurries.
Mack has led UVA to consecutive bowl games, including a win over South Carolina in the 2018 Belk Bowl. A four-year letterman, Mack earned Honorable Mention Freshman All-America honors from Campus Insiders and Second Team Freshman All-ACC recognition from Athlon Sports.
Mack volunteers with Kindness Café + Play, which employs people with cognitive disabilities, and he has participated in UVA’s “Thursday’s Heroes” program, hosting medically ill children and their families at the school’s football facilities. He also mentors elementary school students at the Boys & Girls Club and visits sick children at hospitals throughout the year.
“Jordan’s work ethic, integrity and maturity are representative of the standard our players have established for the program,” Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “He has developed into a leader on this team and accomplished that by earning the respect of his teammates because of his dedication to being a fantastic football player, and a great ambassador for our program and the University in our community. He is a no-nonsense player who loves the game of football and respects what it can do to transform young men into tomorrow’s leaders.”
Mack is the eighth Virginia student-athlete to be recognized as the ACC’s Jim Tatum Award recipient and the first since tight end Tom Santi in 2007.
ACC Jim Tatum Award Winners:
1979 – Scott Hamilton, Duke, G
1980 – No Award
1981 – Bert Krupp, LB, Virginia
1982 – Pat Chester, Virginia, S
Phil Denfield, Wake Forest, TE
1983 – Phil Denfield, Wake Forest, TE
1984 – Not Available
1985 – Kevin Anthony, North Carolina, QB
1986 – David Cardenas, Virginia, DB
1987 – Harris Barton, OT, North Carolina
1988 – Not Available
1989 – Doug Kley, Duke, DT
1990 – Charlie Cobb, NC State, C
1991 – Steve Ainsworth, Wake Forest, OL
1992 – Not Available
1993 – Thomas Burns, Virginia, LB
1994 – Ed Glenn, Clemson, TE
1995 – Russell Babb, North Carolina, OT
1996 – Daryl Bush, Florida State, DB
1997 – Stephen Phelan, Virginia, DB
Jonathan Claiborne, Maryland, S
1998 – Ebenezer Ekuban, North Carolina, DE
1999 – Noel LaMontagne, Virginia, G
2000 – Louis Marchetti, North Carolina, OT
2001 – Kyle Young, Clemson, C
2002 – Jeremy Muyres, Georgia Tech, DB
2003 – Chris Douglas, Duke, RB
2004 – Nick Novak, Maryland, PK
2005 – Brendan Dewan, Duke, LB
David Castillo, Florida State, C
2006 – Josh Wilson, Maryland, DB
2007 – Tom Santi, Virginia, TE
2008 – Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech, DT
2009 – Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, QB
2010 – Christian Ponder, Florida State, QB
2011 – Danny Coale, Virginia Tech, WR-P
2012 – Sean Renfree, Duke, QB
2013 – Perry Simmons, Duke, OT
2014 – David Helton, Duke, LB
2015 – Jeremy Cash, Duke, S
2016 – Ryan Janvion, Wake Forest, S
2017 – Braxton Berrios, Miami, WR
2018 – Christian Wilkins, Clemson, DT
2019 – Jordan Mack, Virginia, LB
